Fastening-supplying apparatus



May 25, 1943.

w. M. CUTLER 2,319,797

FASTENING SUPPLYING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig: 1.

May 25, 1943. w. M. CUTLER FASTENING SUPPLYING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 8, 1941 1 .2.

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Figtli W911 Hf Patented May 25, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING- SUPPLYING APPARATUS Wallace M. Cutler, GloucestergMasa, assignorJto United Shoe 'Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application May 8, 1941, Serial No. 392,481

14 Claims.

distributing and loading-mechanisms, furnishes an example of the field in which my invention may profitably be utilized.

In machines of the above character, the fas 'tenings are lifted from a mass and deposited upon a raceway having a plurality of grooves along which they travel to a discharge device, as a rotatable roll by which successive loads of the 'fastenings are taken off. To facilitate the advance of the fastenings along the raceway, it is moved, this movement preferably being one of oscillation. Since the discharge device is carried by the raceway, it shares in the -movement, and this may so disturb the fastenings that they will not be properly delivered. The difiiculty has long been recognized, 'and to overcome it there has been introduced into the mechanism a clutch which is opened at the time the discharge device operates and thus stops the rotation of a shaft by which the raceways are actuated. Such an expedient not only considerably complicates the mechanism, but it is also true that the time of action of the type of clutch suitable for this purpose is uncertain, so raceway-movement may still make the fastening-discharging action unsatisfactory. Moreover, there must be controlled by the clutch a relatively heavy load having a high inertia.

An object of this invention is to, with certainty, eliminate the effect of the oscillation of the raceway upon the fastening-discharge and to accomplish this by means which is simple and durable. To attain this end, I combine with a movable raceway a constantly rotatable shaft, by which a member is reciprocated to move the raceway,

and means for preventing the member from acting upon the raceway during continuing rotation of the shaft. I prefer-to'have the member engage a support for the raceway to effect its actuation and to separate these to stop the racewaymovement, this being accomplished under the power of the fastening-supplying mechanism. As herein disclosed, a link actuated'by a powershaft has a divided end which receives a projection from an oscillatory raceway-support, and

' means, as a power-operated lever provided with a cam-surface, acts upon the supporting member to move the projection in the divided end of the link, to stop the action of the supporting member and therefore the movement of theraceway. In combination with a-n-ail-roll or other movable was discharge device, such an organization acts 'di- 'rectly and positively, and the time-relation between the fastening-discharge and the race-waymovem'ent may :be'very exactly determined, so no 'displacement'of the fastenings at the discharge device will be caused.

In the drawingsillustrating one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 shows, in front elevation, a fragment of a heel-attaching machine, together with a naildistributor to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of that portion -of the nail-distributor with which the invention is more directly concerned;

Fig. 3, a partial top plan view of the elements of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, a detail in elevation looking from the right in Fig. 3. 1

The nail-distributing mechanism may be generally organized as disclosed in Letters Patent .of the -United States No. 1,005,303, Pope, October 10, 1911. Upon a bracket 10, forming a part of the frame of the heel-attaching machine, is carried the frame I 2 of the nail-distributor. Pivoted upon the frame 12 are upwardly extending arms supporting a raceway I l. The forward pair of arms appears at IB, they being fast upon a'pivoo rod l8. I-he raceway has a series 'of parallel :conducting groovesZG, downwardly and forwardly inclined, for the reception of nails from an unillustrated drum, it delivering them to a dis- This :roll receives the nails in loads, determined by the number of racewaygrooves in use, and deposits them in tubes 24 through which they pass to the loading mechanism of the heel-attaching machine. To produce the travel of the nails along the groovesythe raceway 14 is oscillated by links 26 actuated by eccentrics 28 fast upon a power-shaft 30 journaled transversely of the frame I2. forward extremities, the links act upon an arm 's32idepending from-the centerof the rod It.

At their The roll 22 is oscillated to discharge-itsloads of nails into the tubes 'Mffrom a longitudinal shaft '34,

:journaled in-the frame l2 and constantly rotated by worm-gearing 36 from the shaft 35. At the forward end of the shaft 34 is a'singlenotation friction-clutch C, the driven member 38 of which has a cam-surface 40 operating a lever 42 fulcrumed upon the distributor-frame. The lever is joined bya -link 44 to an arm lli secured tothe discharge-roll. Normally, the clutch member-3'8 is held inactive, bythe engagement of a-projection upon-it with a latch-bar sliding upon the distributor-frame beneath the forward extremity of the raceway. Abell-crank-lever 50, fulcrumed upon the frame, is joined to the end of the bar opposite the clutch, and this lever is swung clockwise (Fig. 1) to trip the clutch by a vertical rod 52 guided in the frame of the heel-attaching machine. The rod is lifted for its tripping effect by a cam 54 carried by a loader-arm 56 pivoted at 58 upon the machine-frame. A loader-block 60 mounted in the arm receives the loads of nails falling through the tubes 24, and transfers them upon actuation by the operator to the nailing mechanism of the heeler.

To consider now my improved means for stoping raceway-movement during the discharge of the nails, the connection between the links 26 and the raceway-arm 32 is made in the following manner. Carried in an arcuate slot in the arm is a cross-rod 12. This .rod maybe clamped in different positions in the slot to vary the extent of oscillation of the raceway, by sleeves I4 surrounding said rod at opposite sides of the arm, and forced against it by nuts I6 threaded upon the outer extremities of the rod and engaging the ends of the sleeves. The ends of the links 26, which lie at opposite sides of the arm 32, are divided, having U-shaped depressions 18 into which the sleeves I4 are drawn by tension-springs 80 joining the outer ends of the sleeves to the respective links. Collars 82, fixed to the sleeves outside the links, hold these against lateral displacement. It will be seen that the cross-rod and its surrounding sleeves may, for the purposes of this invention, be considered as a single element, which is held normally by the springs against the bottoms of the U-depressions in the links. If the rod is shifted outwardly through a sufficient distance in the depressions, the links 26 no longer actuate the arm 32 and the oscillation of the raceway I4 ceases.

To thus separate the actuating elements, a cam-lever 84 is utilized. Secured at the forward extremity of the distributor-frame by a projecting shank 86, and steadied by screws 88 threaded through it and engaging the frame, is a bracket 90, upon which the lever is fulcrumed at 92. The lever has a contact-portion 94, which may be adjusted longitudinally by clamping screws 96 to bring a cam-surface 98 into proper relation to the rear edge of the arm 32. In the opposite end of th lever 84 is swiveled a block I00, through which is threaded for longitudinal adjustment a rod I02. The outer extremity of the rod is pivoted to the substantially vertical arm of a bell-crank-lever I04, a horizontally extending arm of which has rotatable upon it a roll I06 lying in a cam-groove I08 in the driven member 38 of the clutch C. A tension-spring I I 0, connecting the inner end. of the lever 84 to the bracket 90, holds the roll initially in contact with the outer surface of the camgroove. The contour of this groove is such that the cam-surface 98 of the lever will be normally without effect upon the raceway-arm 32. The springs 80, therefore, are allowed to hold the cross-rod 12 against the ends of the depressions 18 in the links 26, so as said links are actuated by the eccentrics 28, and the raceway I4 is oscillated to advance the nails along the grooves 20.

In preparation for the attachment of a heel, the operator swings forward the loader-arm 56, the block 60 of which contains a load of nails, delivering these to the die-block of the nailing mechanism in the heeler. When the loader-arm is returned to its nail-receiving position in registration with the terminal-device or mug of the tubes 24, the cam 54 lifts the rod 52 so the clutch C is tripped and the driven member 38 allowed to turn through 360. As rotation of the driven clutch member is thus initiated, the cam-groove I08, through the chain of connecting elements, promptly and positively swings the lever 84 clockwise (Fig. 3) to force the cam-surface 98 against the raceway-arm 32. This, with relatively little shock, is shifted outwardly, the springs elongating, and the cross-rod I2 being carried away from the bottoms of the depressions I8 in the links 26, so there is no longer actuating engagement of said links with the rod. The oscillation of the raceway consequently stops. Then, the cam-surface 40 of the driven clutch member, through its connecting elements, tilts the roll 22 to discharge the load of nails, which it has been holding back at the ends of the racewaygrooves. In this action, there is no possibility of displacement of the nails upon the roll during discharge, because of raceway-movement. Since the separation of the actuating elements is effected under the power of the supplying mechanism, no additional burden is imposed upon the operator. After the roll 22 has delivered the load of nails, the cam 40 allows it to return to its initial position. At the same time, the camgroove I08 removes the cam-surface 98 of the lever 84 from engagement with the racewayarm 32. The springs 80 draw the cross-rod I2 gradually back into operating relation to the links 26, so the oscillation of the raceway starts smoothly.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In fastening-supplying mechanism, a movable raceway, a constantly rotatable shaft, a member constantly movable by the shaft to move the raceway, and means for preventing the constantly movable member from acting upon the raceway while rotation of the shaft continues.

2. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a movable raceway, a movable support for the raceway, an actuating member for engagement with the support, and means for separating the support and actuating member to stop the movement of the raceway.

3. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a movable raceway, a movable support for the raceway, an actuating member for engagement with the support, and means acting under the power of the supplying mechanism for separating the support and actuating member to stop the movement of the raceway.

4. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a movable raceway, means for moving the raceway, a cam-lever acting upon the raceway to prevent its movement, and means for moving the lever under the power of the supplying mechanism.

5. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a movable raceway, means for moving the raceway, a cam-lever acting upon the raceway to prevent its movement, and a cam rotatable under the power of the supplying mechanism to move the lever.

6. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a raceway, an oscillatory member supporting the raceway, a power-shaft, an actuating link connecting the shaft and supporting member, and means for separating the supporting member from actuating engagement with the link.

7. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a raceway, an oscillatory member supporting the raceway and having a lateral projection, a powershaft, a link actuated by the shaft and havin a divided end receiving the projection, and means for producing relative movement between the projection and link to stop the oscillation of the supporting member.

8. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a raceway, an oscillatory member supporting the raceway and having a lateral projection, a powershaft, a link actuated by the shaft and having a divided end receiving the projection, and means acting upon the supporting member to move the projection in the divided end of the link to stop the oscillation of the supporting member.

9. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a raceway, an oscillatory member supporting the raceway and having a lateral projection, a powershaft, a link actuated by the-shaft and having a divided end receiving the projection, a lever provided with a cam-surface movable into engagement with the supporting member, and means for operating the lever.

10. In fastening-supplying mechanism, a raceway, an oscillatory member supporting the raceway and having a lateral projection, a powershaft, a link actuated by the shaft and having a divided end receiving the projection, a lever provided with a cam-surface movable into engagement with the supporting member, and a cam movable under the power of the supplying mechanism for operating the lever.

11. In a fastening-inserting machine, an oscillatory raceway, a device movable to discharge fastenings from the raceway, a constantly rotatable shaft connected to the raceway to actuate it, a second shaft rotated constantly by the first shaft, and controlling means rotatable by the second shaft for actuating the discharge device and for preventing actuation of th raceway by the first shaft.

12. In a fastening-inserting machine, an oscillatory raceway, a device movable to discharge fastenings from the raceway, a constantly rotatable shaft connected to the raceway to actuate it, a second shaft rotated constantly by the first shaft, controlling means rotatable by the second shaft for actuating the discharge device and for preventing actuation of the raceway by the first shaft, a transferring device receiving the discharged fastenings, and means operated by the transferring device for governing the controlling means.

13. In a fastening-inserting machine, an oscillatory raceway, a rotatable discharge-roll cooperating therewith, a power-shaft, a link transmitting power from the shaft to the raceway, and means for connecting th power-shaft to the discharge-roll to actuate it and for changing the relation between the link and raceway to stop the transmission of power to said raceway.

14. In a fastening-inserting machine, an oscillatory raceway, a rotatable discharge-roll cooperating therewith, a support for the raceway,

' a power-shaft, a link transmitting power from the shaft to the raceway, a rotatable cam, means controlled by the cam for actuating the discharge-roll and for separating the support from the link to stop the transmission of power to the raceway, a loader-arm receiving the discharged fastenings, and means governed by the loaderarm for controlling the rotation of the cam.

WALLACE M. CUTLER. 

